Book-marking device



April 23, 1940. w. R. WHEELER BOOK-MARKING DEVICE Filed Sept. 29, 1939 ATTORNEY.

hers I l and .a plurality of leaf members I2 thereably secured together as by adhesive which serves 45 Patented A r. 23, 1940 j 2,198,191

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOOK-MARKING DEVICE. William R. Wheeler, Amherst, Mass.

Application September 29, 1939, Serial No. 297,131

3 Claims. (01. 281-42) My invention relates to marking or indexing marginal edge of the leaves of the book substanmeans for books and the like and is directed more tially as shown while its opposite end portion is particularly to the provision of a novel device, fastened to the binding in one of several ways adapted to be inserted in a book or the like after which will later be more fully explained.

5 the same is bound and fastened therein so as It should be here stated that any desired indi 5 to facilitate the locating of a page or pages or a cations or representations may be printed or section or sections therein. otherwise provided on the inserts; that is to say,

It is a principal object of my invention to proappropriate letters or figures or other characters vide a novel and improved book marker which may be printed on the body of the strip and/or can beeasily and quickly inserted into a bound on its free end portion to indicate anything 10 book or the like and fastened therein with a pordesired such as the page or section of the book tion thereof projecting outwardly beyond a'marwhich it marks and to assist the user in the ginal edge of the book in such a way that the user handling thereof. Both the strip shown in Figs. may merely grasp the projecting part and by 1 and 2 and the modified forms of inserts which manipulating the device, readily turn the pages will later be described may consist of strong 15 of the book, all to the end that the various pages paper, parchment, cloth, or othersuitable mateand the binding of the book are saved from rial. It will be understoodthat the inserts may unnecessary damage and mutilation. vary in width and length according to the need in As special features, the device of my invention the particular case. fighfiSllOVBl means for facilitating the. tight secur- In Fig. 2, one end of the strip I5 is provided ing thereof in its place in a book or the like. As with a pair of spaced holes through which arms will appear, the device is unitary and compact in l8 of a bendable prong member extend. The character and is simple yet durable in its conarms may be connected by a transverse part struction. By reason of its construction, my imand the arms and part 2B may be formed of a proved device may be made economically and with unitary Piece Of Wire Or the likefew operations in the manufacture of its parts. The bendable arms I8 are forced through the as well as in assembling thereof. hinge M of the book and then bent over to be Various other objects and advantages will hereadjacent to the outer surface of the backbone of inafter more fully appear from the following dethe book, as shown in Fig. 1. In this way the scription, in which reference will be had to the insert is securely fastened in place with the pro- 0 accompanying drawing, wherein: jecting end portion free to: be manually engaged. Fig. 1 is a perspective View showing the device While the entire device shown in Fig. 2 may be of the invention associated with abook; made from readily bendable material such as Fig.2 is a plan viewof one form of the device wire, it falls within the invention to provide a of the invention; device wherein the arms beyond the insert are 35 Fig. 3 is a broken plan view of a modified form relatively more bendable than the part or parts of the device of the invention; and thereof which are associated with the insert. Figs. 4 to 7 are plan views of still other modified This feature applies to the form of the invention forms of the invention. shown in Fig. 2 as well as to the forms thereof Referring now to the drawing more in detail, to be described.

the invention will be more fully described. Like According to the modification in Fig. 3 there numerals in different figures refer to like parts. are a pair of similarly shaped secured together In Fig. 1, a bound book is generally designated insert strips 22 with a U-shaped clip held thereby lil and it may include a pair of cover membetween. The strips 22 in this case are preferbetween, the whole being hinged together at adto hold the clip in place. jacent marginal edges in some suitable manner, Said cliphas the free end portions of spaced as to a back-bone member 14. 'According to the arms 24 projecting beyond the inner end of the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an insert member secured together strips while a connecting part 28 I6 is disposed between two of the leaves transis disposed between the strips. The free ends of 50 versely thereof. arms 24 are preferably pointed and bendable The member I6 is in the form of an elongated similarly to the arms l8 so that they may be strip and it may be formed of any suitable inserted in or pushed through the backbone of the stifiish, yet thin material such as cardboard. One book in the manner described with reference to end portion of the strip projects beyond the side Fig. 1. 55

In Fig, 4, another modified form of the device of the invention is shown. Here an insert strip 28 has arms 30 of a clip extending through suitable holes in it with the arms extending throughout almost the entire length of the insert. The clip thus serves to act as a re-enforcement for the insert member to stiffen the same for obvious purposes. The transverse part of the clip is shown at 32. In this case, if desired, these may be superposed and secured together insert members, as in Fig. 3, with the clip between said members so that the insert is reinforced substantially throughout its length.

In Fig. 5, there are a pair of rods 34, spaced apart and preferably in parallelism which may extend through slots provided in an insert 36. These rods have pointed end portions projecting beyond one end of the insert 36 and these are'for functioning in the same manner as are the men"- bers I8, 24, and 39 previously described.

The opposite ends of the rods 34 are bent upon themselves at 38 so as to prevent their detachment from strip 36. The rods are preferably formed of some suitable wire or the like, While in the form shown in Fig. 5, two rods 34 are shown, it will be understood that one or more may be employed.

In another way these may be superposed and secured together insert members with the members 34 therebetweento provide a unitary structure similar to the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3.

Another modification is shown in Fig. 6. In this form of the invention an insert is indicated by 40 and one or-more clips or staples have arms 42 extending through the insert and an offset connecting part 44 disposed adjacent the insert.

In Fig. '7 the insert 46 is larger and may more or less correspond to the size of the books leaves with a projecting tab part 48. There may be one or more staples or clips, such as shown, with arms 50 and connecting parts 52. This insert may consist of secured together superposed members with the clip or clips taking the form of the various clips heretofore described.

From the foregoing itwill be observed that the insert may include a single member of various materials a multiple plus of material secured together in superposed relation. The various forms of inserts may be provided with clips having a pair of prongs, or there may be one or more members to provide the prongs. The clips may include arms connected by transverse members such as in Fig. 2, and the clips may have any desired number of arms or prongs or there'may be separate members as in Fig. 5 which are not conform thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, andall changes which come Within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. v 7

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a device for marking a bound book comprising in combination, an insert member consisting of an elongated, relatively thin, and fiat strip adapted to have its main body portion lie flat and horizontally between adjacent leaves of a book and an outer end portion project outwardly beyond side edges thereof, and a separate securing member having an inner end part attached to said insert member and horizontal intermediate parts extending beyond the inner edge of the insert member and adapted to extend through the binding of the book and outer end parts adapted to be bent on angles to said intermediate parts and to lie adjacent the outside of the binding so as to prevent withdrawal of the insert memberfrom between the leaves.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a device for marking a bound book comprising in combination, an insert member consisting of an elongated, relatively thin, and flat strip adapted to lie horizontally and flat between adjacent leaves of the book and project outwardly beyond side edges thereof, a separate securing member consisting of a U-shaped clip having horizontal arm portions connected by a Vertical transverse portion, said arm portions extending through openings in said insert member so that they are disposed adjacent one face of the insert member and the transverse portion is disposed adjacent the opposite face of the insert member, said arm portions extending beyond the inner end of the insert member and adapted to extend through the binding of the book and to be bent over to lie adjacent the outside of the binding so as to prevent with.- drawal of the insert member from between the leaves.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a device for marking a bound book comprising in combination, a relatively thin and flat insert member adapted to have its main body portion lie flat between adjacent leaves of the book and an outer edge portion project outwardly beyond side edges thereof, and securing members extending beyond the inner edge of said insert member and adapted to extend through the binding of the book, the

WILLIAM R. WHEELER. 

